An event-based semantics for deontic utterances

Abstract

Several problems for modeling the semantics of deontic utterances are linked to the choice of possible worlds as theoretical primitives. Possible worlds are shown to be responsible for three problems for deontic semantics: Lewis's problem about permission, von Wright's paradox of free choice permission, and a problem for permissions involving a certain type of quantification An alternative formulation of the semantics of deontic utterances is proposed, in a framework using states as primitives. Events, which are defined in terms of states, are used to represent the changes brought about by deontic utterances.